Interchangeable connection box for card tabulators



' 1934- F. e. s. ENGLISH 1,983,354

TNTERCHANGEABLE CONNECTION BOX FOR CARD TABULATORS Filed Jan. 11, O 1933 Patented Dec. 4, 1934 maacmmcmam common 80:: For.

caan raaum'roas Francis Guy Sydenham English, West Croydon,

England, assignor to The Accounting 8; Tabulatlng Corporation 0! Gt. Britain Limited,

London, England Application January 11, 1933, Serial No. 651,202 In Great Britain February 12-, 1932 2 Claim.

This invention relates to interchangeable connection box for card tabulators having a sensing pin box and a plurality of adding and/or printing elements which are arrested by means of 5 stops set by the pins which have passed through holes in a card. These adding and/or printing elements are grouped in units each unit serving to add and print items of a particular classification. Such a machine is described in Powers .10 U. S. patent specification No. 1,245,502.

In order to transmit movement from the sensing pins to the stops a connection box is employed comprising extension rods leading from the pins to the stops so that when any pin is is; raised the corresponding stop is also raised by the agency of the intervening extension rod.

In some classes of work it is required to add the same item on two or more units or groups of adding elements and in order to enable this an to be done the. connection box has to be removed and replaced by another box in which some of the extension rods are branched so as to actuate the stops of two or more units. Frequently the connection box is built into the machine and its removal and replacement involves considerable time and labour inasmuch as the adding mechanism has to be removed in order to enable the connection box to be taken out.

The object of the present invention is to provide a form of connection box which can be readily removed from the machine and replaced by another without disturbing the parts of the machine.

According to the present invention the connection box is provided with supports adapted to engage with guides on the tabulator frame, whereby the connection box may be slid into position in the machine, means being provided for locking the connection box in the correct position.

Preferably, also, the connection box is provided with means for locating it in the correct position, for example, it may carry a pivoted arm on the end of which is mounted a roller or pin running on a track when the box is being pushed into -position, this track being formed with a recess into which the roller or pin moves when the connection box has reached the desired position and definitely locates it.

One construction according to the invention is diagrammatically illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawing, in which- Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the connection box in position in the guides provided on the tabulator;

.55., Fig. 2 is an end view of the connection box;

Fig. 3shows a detail of that portion of the box which engages with the guides;

Figs. 4 and 5 show to an enlarged scale details of the means foradjusting the final position of the connection box. so

In the construction illustrated in the drawing the tabulator frame (not shown) is' provided with horizontal guides A at each side. The guides A are formed with a slot A with which engages a foot on the connection box, there being one on foot at each side of the box. These feet are in reality compound members made up of two angle bars B and C (see Fig. 3).

The angle bar B is secured to the under-side of the connection box by means of screws D To which pass through slots or elongated holes in W the angle bar B, whereby the latter can be adjusted longitudinally with regard to the connection box.

The angle bar C is secured to the bar B by t means of screws E passing through slots in the vertical portion 0! the angle bar C, whereby the bar C can be adjusted vertically with regard to the bar B. The horizontal portion C of the bar C is adapted to engage with the slot A in an the guide A.

The connection box carries at each end an arm F pivoted to the box at F and carrying at one end a pin 1* which, when the connection box is being inserted, engages with the upper surface 85, of the slot A in the guide A.

In order that the operator may push the connection box into place without searching for the exact location, each guide A is provided with a recess A (see Fig. 2), into which the pin F moves when the connection box has been pushed in to the desired extent. The pin I" is moved into this position due to the action of a weighted bar K and cooperating linkage hereinafter described.

In order to provide an adjustment for the connection box in the direction of its movement along the guides A, the pins 1'' which engage with the recesses A in these guides, are eccentrically mounted on discs F which in turn are rotatably mo mounted in bushings F of arms 1''. Thus by revolving discs F the position of the connection box with regard to the tabulator pin box can be adjusted within fine limits. Set screws F" are provided to hold the discs I" in the positions to 105 which they have been adjusted.

The ends F of the arms F remote from the pins 1 are connected through links G to arms H respectively pivoted to plates J and J secured one at each end of the connection box. The links no G are pivoted to the arms H between the ends 01' the latter and the free ends 0! the arms H are connected by a heavy rod K which, when the connection box has been pushed in to the Iuilest extent, causes, by its weight, the pins l" to engage with the recesses A.

In order to release the connection box the rod K israised, thereby freeing the pins 1" from therecessesA TherodKalsoservesas ahandie for pushing the connection box in and out.

It will be understood that when inserting a connection box the sensing pins must be down. If the sensing pins are up and the stops are down the distance between them will not be suiiicient to permit insertion of the connection box. In order to ensure that the pins and stops are in the correctrelative position, a stop card is run into the machine prior to the insertion of a new connection box whereby the pins are held down, the stops also remaining down.

What I claim is:-

1. For use with a tabulating machine having connection box guides, a connection box comprising a body, supports on said body adapted to engage with and move in said guides whereby said box may be slid into position in the machine, an arm pivoted to the connection box body, a projection on said arm adapted to run in one of said guides, and means tending to turn said arm about its pivot whereby the projection on the arm enters a recess in said guide when the box is pushed in a predetermined extent.

2. For use with a tabulating machine having connection box guides, a connection box comprising a body, supports on said body adapted to engage with and move in guides on the tabulator frame whereby the connection box may he slid into position in the machine, arms pivoted to the connection box body, one at each end thereof, a projection on each arm, each of said projections being adapted to rim in one oi said guides, a weighted bar, and operative connections between said bar and the projection-carrying arms, whereby said bar serves not only as a handle to manipulate the connection box, but also, by reason of its weight, to cause the projections to engage with recesses in their respective guides when the connection box has been pushed in to the fullest extent.

FRANCIS GUY SYDENHAM ENGLISH. 

